Huskers' Comeback Bid Falls Short

Lincoln ? Behind 24 second-half points from Aleks Maric, Nebraska roared back from an 11-point halftime deficit to force overtime, but it was all Missouri in the extra period as the Tigers scored the first nine points of overtime to escape the BobDevaneySportsCenter with an 86-78 victory.

 

Maric posted his fifth consecutive double-double in a losing effort, finishing with a season-high 32 points, while also pulling down a season-high 16 rebounds. Despite a 10-of-18 shooting performance, Maric attempted just one shot in overtime as he couldn’t connect on a tip try following a missed free throw.

 

With the loss, Nebraska falls to 14-8 on the season and 3-6 in the Big 12 Conference. Missouri, which was led by 19 points from Keon Lawrence, improves to 14-11 and 4-6.

 

Midway through the contest, overtime didn't appear as if it would be necessary. With Nebraska leading for much of the first half, Steve Harley capped a 7-0 run with five straight points to give the Huskers a 28-21 lead with exactly six minutes remaining in the half. From there, it was all Missouri as the Tigers closed the period on a 20-2 run.

 

Missouri started the run by scoring 12 consecutive points in just 1:12, including seven from J.T. Tiller, marking his only points of the period. After a pair of Maric free throws cut the Tigers’ lead to 33-30, Mizzou scored the final eight points of the half, led by a pair of 3-pointers from Matt Lawrence and DeMarre Carroll.

 

During the decisive half-ending run, Missouri hit 8-of-9 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Overall, the Tigers hit seven first-half 3-pointers while shooting nearly 54 percent from the field. The Huskers, meanwhile, hit just 41 percent from the field and were held without a field goal for the final six minutes of the first half.

 

In the second half, Nebraska broke a 7:09 drought without a field goal when Harley made a layup and knocked down the free throw to complete a three-point play and cut the deficit to 10. The Tigers continued to hold a double-digit lead until a 10-0 NU run cut the lead to 47-44 six minutes into the second half.

 

Maric then scored eight straight Husker points to keep Nebraska close as Missouri also scored on four consecutive possessions to maintain its three-point advantage at 55-52. In keeping the the score close, Maric scored 14 consecutive points for Nebraska, while scoring 19 of the Huskers’ first 24 points of the second half.

 

After cutting the deficit to one on several occasions, Harley drilled his second 3-pointer of the night to once again pull the Huskers within one at 61-60 with 5:15 remaining. Maric then went to the line ? where NU had hit only three of its last six attempts ? and calmly sank a pair to give Nebraska its first lead since the 5:22 mark of the first half.

 

The Tigers responded with a quick 5-0 run to take a 66-62 advantage with 3:55 remaining. A Tiller 3-pointer then put MU on top 71-67 with a little more than one minute remaining. The Huskers responded by hitting 2-of-4 free throws to cut the lead back to two before Nebraska made a final defensive stop to give itself one last shot.

 

Trailing 71-69 with 8.9 seconds remaining, the Huskers came out of a timeout with Harley aggressively taking the ball to the basket and drawing a foul. He hit his first attempt and after a Missouri time out, sank the second to tie the game with just 5.1 seconds remaining.

 

In overtime, Missouri held Nebraska without a field goal for the first four minutes while building a nine-point lead. Ryan Anderson hit a pair of late 3-pointers to pull the Huskers within four, but NU could get no closer.

 

Anderson finished with six of Nebraska’s seven points in overtime, but hit just 5-of-16 shots from the floor in the game while scoring 15 points and posting a double-double by adding nine rebounds. Harley was the only other Husker in double figures, as he scored 16 points.

 

After hosting back-to-back home games, the Huskers hit the road this weekend when they look for a series sweep of IowaState on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN Plus.